1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining and managing traffic patterns. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to determining the volume of traffic on a highway and managing the traffic patterns using knowledge from cellular phone type systems, and particularly to provide a travel plan to an individual planning to travel.
2. Background of Related Art
Traffic patterns are typically monitored by sensor systems such as cameras which provide the status of selected portions of roadways to a management center. The management centers communicate to the vehicular drivers the ensuing conditions using fixedly positioned programmable signs and dedicated AM radio stations. These traffic management systems, however, are vulnerable to the reliability of the sensors, signs, and the limitations of their positions relative to the traffic problems. Further, the camera sensor systems have limited visibility during many inclement weather conditions when the need to effectively locate and warn vehicular drivers of impending traffic problems is the greatest. The present system in using cell telephones avoids those problems, and is able to provide pre-arranged planned patterns of travel, to a person desiring to make such a trip.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,783 to Song a vehicle locating system is described having a small device positioned in a car that is activated by a digital control transmission from a base station of a cellular phone system. The device in the car determines the vehicle location based on the received cellular phone signals, and then transmits that location back to the base station or another centrally located station. Song, however, is limited by its requirement to have a specific additional device covertly positioned in the vehicle and the limited application of that device to determine the location of the vehicle independent of a user's cellular phone.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,144 to Stilp et al., a vehicle locating system is described utilizing specialized antennas and equipment for locating cellular telephones using their control channel emissions. Stilp et al. discusses using this information for determining velocity and estimating arrival times of a vehicle having a user with their cellular phone turned on. While Stilp et al. discusses how control channel intermittent transmissions can be used for locating a vehicle, it is limited to determining the position and velocity of a given vehicle. The patent does not disclose the monitoring of cellular phones to determine the volume of traffic on a particular roadway, and certainly does not disclose the input of the information from cell phone usage, to provide a traveler with a plan for a route with the least traffic.
A network based wireless locating system is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,452B1 to Fattouche et al., wherein the static and dynamic positions of cellular telephones are located using cellular telephone reverse channel emissions. The reverse channel emissions are received at several antenna monitoring sites and the location of the cellular telephone identified using various analytical methods. Fattouche et al., is limited, however, to the determination of the position and velocity of the cellular telephones.
A continuing need exists for a system and method configured for effectively using traffic patterns and determining traffic volume through cellular telephone use, and providing a plan for traveling.